TITLE:
Transforming Hospital Orientation Training toward Competency-Based Education: A COER Framework Integrated with Learning Analytics for Newly Appointed Healthcare Professionals
AUTHORS:
Daoju Jiang, Weijun Li, Jiangquan Chen, Jinghua Liu, Peiqing Li, Haomei Yang, Qiuyan Peng, Xiaodan Li, Haifeng Yao, Ru Wei, Di Zhao, Jun Shen
KEYWORDS:
Hospital Orientation Training, Competency-Based Medical Education, Clinical Reasoning, Reflective Debriefing, Learning Analytics, Healthcare Professionals, Medical Education
JOURNAL NAME:
Creative Education,
Vol.17 No.8,
August
31,
2026
ABSTRACT: Background: Hospital orientation training is essential for newly appointed healthcare professionals to acquire institutional knowledge, safety awareness, and basic clinical competencies. However, traditional training programs primarily rely on didactic instruction and summative examinations, which may inadequately promote clinical reasoning, risk recognition, and transfer of knowledge into clinical practice. This study developed and evaluated a COER (Customized Assessment, Organized Collaborative Discussion, Embedded Evaluation, and Reflective Debriefing) training framework integrating competency-based education principles and learning analytics for hospital orientation training. Methods: A quasi-experimental cohort study was conducted among newly appointed physicians at a tertiary medical center. Participants from the 2025 training cohort receiving conventional orientation training were assigned as the control group (n=160), while participants from the 2026 cohort receiving COER-based training were assigned as the intervention group (n=60). Core training contents, assessment standards, and teaching faculty were consistent between the two cohorts. The COER framework incorporated individualized competency assessment, interdisciplinary case-based discussion, continuous formative evaluation, and structured reflective debriefing. A Learning Analytics Dashboard was implemented to collect and analyze multidimensional training data. Primary outcomes included training completion rate, examination performance, and competency-related indicators. Multivariable regression was performed adjusting for baseline demographics (gender and specialty). Item-level responses were analyzed using mixed-effects models with participant-level random intercepts, and p-values were adjusted using the Benjamini-Hochberg method. Results: Training completion rates were 100% in both cohorts. Compared with the conventional training cohort, participants receiving COER-based training demonstrated higher mean examination scores (89.52 vs. 81.44 points) and higher pass rates (100% vs. 98.7%). The accuracy of high-risk clinical scenario questions increased from 48.4% to 76.25%, while case-based judgment accuracy improved from 64% to 85%. Competency profiling using the Learning Analytics Dashboard showed high performance across five domains, including triage concepts (0.95), ABC assessment (0.92), emergency decision-making (0.91), PAT recognition (0.89), and case judgment (0.85). However, case-based reasoning and PAT recognition remained relatively weaker competency domains. Multivariable regression confirmed a significant independent association between COER intervention and higher examination scores after adjusting for gender and specialty. Mixed-effects analysis of item-level data revealed significant between-cohort differences in case-based judgment items, with adjusted p-values remaining significant for key items. Conclusions: The COER training framework effectively enhanced competency-related performance among newly appointed physicians by shifting hospital orientation training from knowledge acquisition toward clinical reasoning and risk recognition. Integration of learning analytics enabled objective identification of competency gaps and supported continuous quality improvement. This framework provides a scalable approach for competency-based hospital orientation training and may be applicable to residency education and other healthcare professional development programs.